Steel floor for refrigerator cars



1949- E. R. BATTLEY ET AL 2,480,695

STEEL FLOOR FOR REFRIGERATOR CARS Filed Jan. 26, 1945 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS. Eda/1 722 ficzilcy Aug. 30, 1949.

E. R. BATTLEY ETAL 2,480,695 STEEL FLOOR FOR REFRIGERATOR CARS Filed Jan. 26, 1945 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 g- 30, 1949- E. R. BATTLEY ET AL STEEL FLOOR FOR REFRIGERATOR CARS 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Jan. 26, 1945 mmvrozas, [/2 J2. Bail/leg BY George 5. M Coy,

., Patented Aug. 30, 1949 :srEErELooR. 130R;- REFRIGERAIORWQARS -T.EdWinE-R;:TBat'tleyand George E. MCoy,

MOntreaLQQuebec; Canada .Apiflication Januaryi26, 1 4 ;!Se'rialNo57788 I zl613laims. (01.105-422) The-' -invention--re1ates-=-to metal floors for refrigerator cars and -more particularly i to such fioors'for refrigerator cars'of the; overhead bunker type.

' The -invention= lsaan improvement over the *invention "disclosed-in;- -Patent ?No.-'- 2,136;999 of-November -15, 1938;wh-erein refrigerant containers are located- Zid'jRGIltthGflOOfi and --side-walls of the car, a drippan islocated belowtherefrigerant container tor provide an -aircooling-space therebetween, lines are-associated-iwith the sidewalls, which flues communicate with said air cooling space and with aspace below the} ladingsupporting= rack," and-wherein: airy-in said*space,- cooled by the refrigerant iin-said container, descends through-said flues inter, the space below the lading, -an d being-"warmedWy said "Iading, rises throughsaid rackandiading'to-thecooling space Where the cycleisrepeated.

The conventional"refrigerator car floor is of Wood Withinsuiation thereun'derand-may be lined with a metal -'fioor-sheet"-to aidi in -keeping the wood and insulationddry. Without sushi-lining moisture seeps through thefioor and into theginsulation causing it to become'soggy and'generally worthless as; an insulating medium ,besides such moisture adding as much' (is-severaltons, tdithe weight of the car which-must-bemovedr with .the car,-at;- ofcourse; addedexpense.

'-'-It-* is consequently the principal' object of the invention "to provide; a cmetal floor ilining which extends to the sidewalls ofthe carzand'is secured to structur'al partsof --said;"side-wal1- seas topro vide a watertight joint,

A further-bbjectisto so shapersaid'ioiht so that-it adds strengtlr to thej-wall andalso actsgto prevent; orat" least; --materially-retardthe surging of liquid, due -to-service movements of thecar, whi'ch may bepnsaidfloor or, inagutter formed at-the'juncture bf said-walkand-floor. 7

Another objector the invention '-is'-t0 provide-4a metallic floor formed in a plurality -of---se-ction s, the ad-jaeent-sectionsonone sideof the-car being joined" to the -like sections 'on" the-oppositeside by an -upstanding-central longitudinal: seam.

Another-object of the invention is to provide'a metailliofloor formed in: a plurali-ty' of; sections each-extending--erosswise from-*side-wal1---to side wall; or' f-rom gutter -to gutter; the--sides ofad- 3' acent sections being formed with upstanding flanges which are secured together-(and toa; holddown strip secured to the car sub-floor.

Another object of the invention is to-providesa gutter atsubstantially the juncture of the?- floor provide a drain for. saidf ttertinea3chsection, sa dgu'tter slopingfrom opposite ends toward said r n- Y A further objectis togprovide an inner side sill having ,a'po'rtion cooperatingwitli the sides of the floor sheet and lower-'edgetoffltheflue' sheet so that they m'aytbe'united by welding"or"otherwise and thereloy'formthe aforesaid'joint.

"Gther objects-and advantagesmfftheinvention will appearin'thefdllowing d'escriptionilthereof. Referring now to the ac ompan ing drawings forminggpartz of this appiicatiomand wherein'like reference characters:iridicatelike; parts.

Figure i is apartial-pr'oss jseotionspf a refrigerai cqrn ra iostheiinvention- "Eigure 21isa perspective yiewpfgthe; construction shownirrl igure 1. V

f re 3 sa; partia ;transver e; ebt. qn n x-a modifiedform offloorshe'et, with the gutter omit ed. a v s ilisure lisa diaerammat lpla 'v ewpi a car prdvided with thei nprovediflo ris 'et.

Fi uregfi is; a diagrammatic section of the floo sheeto flirle- 6%B ,Qf fig rei, h

ifEi ure 'Usa vievmsimilaiito' lifieurel ofiam odid; for-m I he iinuerition whe ein a., separate gutt rsisishown anditheifi r sheetsextend tran verselytof the .car betweenlthe utter "figure 8 is. a section on .line-B-loilifigursaa -,7.

T fiisurei 9i isnagplan- Vi w of amddifiedj iormtof hi'oldedownlm'eans,iorsaidfloor;

' Fi ure? 10.15. a partialpcross.sesitional. yiew, of .a

I refrigerator car showing a, modifiedhformbfvfih invention. I

;;In:fthe .idrawingsithe.lusualpaits o a ca ar shown, such as the Side. 5111;] fl Q0r1 c.k 2 suprted n ran ve se. 's l i e si3..to;proizide a space" 4sbetween said racks a gdlthe'ifigor proper.

Th s de W ll ompris .ousidesheathing. diattached at .its' lower edge to avertical arm of the ide sill a;- 1ura i a rs iofiinsu'lation" 6, a .1 pluralit of longitudinally .jispaoed 111119178 or fiues l, spaced .posts 8, ,,n ai1ing strips; 9;.andinner lining in. The sidewall is' tnusadapteqxrpr use w t e ve h ad" bunkensztheside walllfiues 1 conducting; chilled. air: jiromlt-a efri erant compartment adjacent the car roof to "thespace'fi be- 50 tween the floorandfloor, rack 2.

",The floor; of tthe car comprises a ,metalli prot t is h t 12, a Wooden sub-flosorili. .pli sbf insulation material '1 Land; lowerjm'etallic sheet I 5.

Aswill be observedfiromfliigure 141 there are may be more in the case of a larger car, or for practical reasons, each of said sheets having an upstanding flange It at one side thereof, which, when the sheet is in place within the car, is adjacent the longitudinal center of the car. The opposite side of the sheet is formed with a depression, indicated at H, the outer wall l8 of which depression is formed on a substantial radius (to provide resiliency for adjustment of parts) and is provided with a downwardly and inwardly extending reflange IQ for purposes which will hereinafter appear. The depression ll, of course, occurs adjacent the bottom of the side walls and forms a gutter to carry away meltage or overflow from the refrigerant, or water used in flushing the floor for cleansing purposes. It will be noted in Figures 1 and 3 that the floor sheets are preferably arranged so that they slope downwardly from the longitudinal center of the car to the gutter on either side thereof to provide adequate drainage thereto. At approximately midway the length of thegutter of each sheet there is provided a drain 2|, and in Figure 5 it will be observed that the gutters slope from opposite ends toward said drains. At the ends of each floor sheet are provided upstanding flanges 22 similar to flanges Hi.

In Figure 6 it will be noted that the floor proper slopes in a single plane from adjacent the longitudinal center 23 of the car to the edge of the gutter The vertical nailing strips 9 and posts 8 rest upon the longitudinally disposed portion 24 of an inner sill which is substantially a. slightly deformed Z-bar having a vertical flange 25 extending upwardly from the inner. edge of the portion 24 and terminating in an outwardly and downwardly turned reflange 26 overlying the reflange IQ of the floorsheet, to which it is welded, as at 21.

The sheet forming the flues 1 is shown as having a lower margin 30 integrally formed there-.

with and extending downwardly and inwardly in approximately the plane of reflanges H! and 2G uponwhich the free edge of said margin 30 rests and is welded thereto, as at 3|. It will be. noted that the reflanges I9 and 26 and edge of margin 30 terminate successively short of each other to provide grooves for welding, but obviously they could terminate flush with each other and possibly be secured together by a single line of welding and fall within the scope of the invention. There is thus provided a watertight seam of the bottom of the flues with the floor sheet so that water cannot pass therethrough into the car insulation.

In Figure '7 there is shown a modifled form of the invention wherein the gutter 4|] is formed of a separate sheet of material so that it may be of heavier gauge or of acorrosion resisting material. In this construction the outer wall 4| is welded, as at 42, directly to the posts 8 preferably independently of the inner side sill 43. The lower margins 44 of the flue sheet 45 terminates in a depending flange 46 overlapping the downwardly inclined flange ll of the gutter wall 4| and cooperates therewith in further retarding splashing of water in the gutter. Flange 46 is attached to the gutter flange ill in any acceptable manner.

The inner gutter wall 50 is provided with a stiffening flange 5| to support the floor sheet 52. The floor sheet overlaps and rests upon the flange 5| of the gutter wall 50 and is preferably welded thereto. as shown at 54.

In Figure 8 there is shown a preferred means of securing the floor sheets to the car. An angle strip 51 is secured to the car floor by screws 58 or otherwise, and which angle is provided with an upstanding flange 59 positioned between the adjacent marginal flanges 60 of the floor sheets 52. The marginal flanges 69 are secured to the flange 59 by a single line of welding material 6|.

In Figure 9 we have shown an alternate means of securing the floor sheets to the car floor. A relatively small piece of flat metal 65, rectangular in form, is slit or out along its medial line for about half its length. The material on opposite sides of said cut or slit is bent in opposite directions to extend at right angles to the remainder, as shown at B6 and 61. Recesses are formed in the sub-floor it to receive said laterally extending wings or portions 66 and 61 and holes 68 are provided therethrough for the application of screws 69 to secure said fastener E5 to the floor. (See Figure 1 also.) Several of these clips are so placed along the car so that the flanges |6-|6 of adjacent sheets abut flatwise against the sides of the portion 65 and all are secured together by a line of welding 10. There is a similar row of welding material 1| joining the abutting end flanges 22 of the sheets. Between the spaced clips the adjacent flanges Iii-48 abut directly and are welded together. At the ends of the-car the end flanges of the sheets are secured to the end of the-car. Thus the steel floor of the car is welded into an integral unit with side and end sheets and insures that no moisture can pass therethrough to the insulation. It provides a means whereby the floor racks can be raised or removed, and the floor then flushed out with a hose and cleaned of all debris, etc., which, with the water, will run out of the drain.

In Figure 10 the inner side sill 15 is shown as an ordinary angle bar, which is arranged so that one arm 16 extends vertically up to the plane of the underside of the margin 11 of the floor sheet and is welded to the outer wall 18 of the gutter, as shown at 19. The inner wall is provided with a flange 8| projecting over the gutter upon which flange the outer margins of the floor sheet 82 rests and is welded thereto, as at 83. This construction provides adjustability for variations in dimensions of the floor sheets and also provides a very convenient groove for welding the floor sheet to thegutter, and an anti-splash bailie to prevent water in the gutter from surging up toward the seam.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the preferred form of the invention, though it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, as it is obvious that various modifications thereof, within the scope of the claims, will occur to persons skilled in the art.

We claim:

1. A floor for a refrigerator car having an insulated wall including a vertical flue adapted to conduct air and liquid to the floor of said car; and a bottom chord for said wall; said floor comprising a member formed with a body portion forming the floor of the car, and an upwardly extending flange bearing against said chord and joined thereto, and an inwardly extending reflange to prevent water on said floor from surging against said joint, said flue having a part overlying said reflange.

A floor for a refrigerator car having an insulated wall including a vertical flue adapted the longitudinal center line of laniiiiwardly extending flang'ensaid floor/iodin- Iflange bearing aga nst; said chord, andi an Iinwardly extending r'e'fla'nge, said chord flangeihaving; aidownwardly and inwardly j inclined. DOr'tiiin 'eneaging and ov'erlyifig saidl'floor reflafi'gdITar id meansito; secure "said' portion and saidjrleflange together'itojforma'tight joint and toglpreveiit water passing -ther'e'throu'gh to the insulation.

3. A floor for a refrigerator car having an insulated wall including a vertical flue adapted to conduct air and liquid to the floor of said car; and a bottom chord for said wall having an upwardly extending flange; said floor comprising a sheet formed with a body portion forming the floor of the car, an upwardly extending flange bearing against said chord, and an inwardly extending reflange, said chord flange having a downwardly and inwardly inclined portion engaging and overlying said floor reflange, and means to secure said portion and said reflange together to form a tight joint and to prevent water passing therethrough to the insulation, said flue having a part overlying and secured to said portion, whereby water from said flues or on said floor is prevented from surging upwardly at the sides of the car.

4. A floor for a refrigerator car, said floor comprising a member formed with a body portion forming the floor of the car, an upwardly extending flange, and a downwardly and inwardly extending reflange, whereby water on said floor is prevented from surging upwardly at the sides of the car.

5. A floor for a refrigerator car having an insulated wall including a vertical flue, said floor comprising a body portion and a channel-shaped gutter portion, the outer part of said gutter portion being formed of an upstanding flange having a downwardly and inwardly inclined reflange adapted to receive water from said flue and discharge said water diagonally into said gutter.

6. A structure as defined in claim wherein the inner wall of said gutter is provided with a lateral flange for supporting the outer margins of the body portion, the edge of said body portion terminating short of the width of said flange to provide a groove for welding said portion to said flange.

7. A structure as deflned in claim 5 wherein the inner wall of said gutter is provided with a lateral flange projecting over said gutter for supporting the outer margins of the body portion and providing means to prevent surging of liquid in said gutter from splashing out of said gutter.

8. A floor for a refrigerator car having an insulated side wall including a vertical flue, said floor comprising a body portion downwardly inclined from the longitudinal middle of the car and a channel-shaped gutter portion, the outer part of said gutter portion being formed of an upstanding flange having a downwardly and inwardly inclined reflange adapted to receive water from said flue and discharge said water diagonallyinto said gutter.

9. A floor for a refrigerator car having an insulated wall including vertical posts and a vertical flue adapted to conduct air and water to the floor of the car, said floor comprising a body portion, and a channel-shaped gutter portion adapted to receive water from said flue, the outer part of said gutter portion being formed of an iupstandingsflange-having a downwardly and in "wzardliciinclined refl'ange, said outer part of-sa'id .gutteniportion'zbeing secured to said posts.

10. A structure as defined 'inclaim 5 wherein the upstanding flange of the outer part of the gu'tt'erifis?formed-" on a substantial radius to provide resiliency foradjustment of parts.

11. A floor for a refrigerator car having spaced insulated walls eachincluding vertical flue .adaptedstoflconduct aireanda water-to the floor of the car, said floor comprising. gutterrportions adapted to be positioned adjacent said walls respectively to receive water from said flues respectively, the outer part of each gutter portion being formed of an upstanding flange having a downwardly and inwardly inclined reflange, body portions extending from each gutter portion to adjacent the longitudinal middle of the car, and waterproofed means secured to the car body at the juncture of said body portions to hold said body portions down.

12. A structure as defined in claim 11 wherein said means comprises a member having a horizontal flange secured to the car body and a vertical flange positioned between vertical flanges formed on said body portions and welded material securing said vertical flanges to the flanges of said body portions.

13. A floor for a refrigerator car having spaced insulated walls each including vertical posts and a vertical flue adapted to conduct air and water to the floor of the car, said floor comprising gutter portions secured directly to said posts and adapted to be positioned adjacent said walls respectively to receive water from said flues respectively, the outer part of each gutter portion being formed of an upstanding flange having a downwardly and inwardly inclined reflange, body portions extending from each gutter portion to adjacent the longitudinal middle of the car, and waterproofed means secured to the car body at the juncture of said body portions to hold said body portions down.

14. A floor for a refrigerator car having spaced insulated walls each including a vertical flue, said floor comprising gutter portions adapted to be positioned adjacent said walls respectively, the outer part of each gutter portion being formed of an upstanding flange having a downwardly and inwardly inclined reflange adapted to receive water from said flues respectively and discharge said water diagonally into the adjacent gutter, and body portions extending to and between said gutter portions.

15. A floor for a refrigerator car having spaced insulated walls each including vertical posts and a vertical flue adapted to conduct air and water to the floor of the car, said floor comprising gutter portions adapted to be positioned adjacent said walls respectively to receive water from said flues respectively, the outer part of each gutter portion being formed of an upstanding flange having a downwardly and inwardly inclined reflange, a plurality of body portions extendin to and between said gutter portions, and waterproofed means secured to the car body at the juncture of said body portions to hold said body portions down.

16. A floor for a refrigerator car having an insulated wall including a vertical flue having a downwardly and inwardly inclined lower margin, which flue is adapted to conduct air and water to the floor of the car, said floor comprising a body portion, and a channel-shaped gutter portion adapted to receive water from said flue, the

outer part of said gutter portion being formed of an upstanding flange having a downwardly and inwardly inclined reflange substantially in the plane of said margin.

EDWIN R. BATTLE-Y. GEORGE E. MCCOY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 

